Friday, March 31, 2006

As a creature of habit, my world has been turned upside down as this morning, my wife and daughter hopped on an airplane to see her family until Monday night. That leaves me and 17 month old Brett. Aside from my show today, lil' Brett and me are joined at the hip until Monday morning at 10:00 when I get a babysitter for opening day.

So, blogging will be second priority. This morning, I got nothing for you, and I will try to make up for it, but no promises until mom gets back. I know some of you dads do this all the time, but for me, this is the maiden voyage.

Thursday, March 30, 2006

The new rules require players to stay on their feet during celebrations — snow angels are out — and to not use any props. So the Bengals' Chad Johnson, who once celebrated a touchdown by dropping to one knee to propose to a cheerleader, would be hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for that action next season — but only if he dropped to his knee. If he is standing up, the act is legal. Many of Terrell Owens's stunts — from the situps to grabbing a pen to sign a football — are out. But Johnson's Riverdance celebration is acceptable.

If a celebration goes on too long, an official will warn the player to stop. If he does not, he will be penalized.

The limits were requested by player representatives during a meeting with members of the competition committee at the N.F.L. scouting combine. Three teams — Dallas, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay — voted against the limitations.

One of the members of the competition committee is Marvin Lewis, Johnson's coach. Almost all the rules changes favor the offense and scoring, including:

Defensive players must try to avoid a low hit on a quarterback who has his feet planted even if the player is being blocked into the quarterback. That change stemmed from the rash of injuries sustained by quarterbacks in that situation, the best known being Carson Palmer's knee injury during the Bengals' playoff game against the Steelers. Still, the Steelers' Kimo von Oelhoffen, who rolled into Palmer, would not have been penalized on the play because he could not have avoided the contact.

If a runner is ruled down by defensive contact while fumbling, the play is now reviewable. But the call can be changed only when there is indisputable visual evidence of which team recovered the fumble.

The horse-collar tackle rule was expanded to include grabbing the inside collar of the back of the jersey, as well as the shoulder pads.

Defenders may not line up head-on with the center on field-goal and point-after attempts. Defenders must now line up in the gap next to the center. Among the proposed changes that were voted down:

There will be no communication system in helmets so coaches can relay calls to a designated defensive player; coaches and quarterbacks currently have such a system. A flinch by an eligible receiver that does not draw an immediate reaction from a defensive player will still be ruled a false start and a stoppage of play will be called. The competition committee wanted the flinch to not be ruled a false start. "The defense seems to be on the wrong side of many of these," Carolina Panthers Coach John Fox said.

Owners tabled a proposal by the Kansas City Chiefs to expand the number of playoff teams from 12 to 14.

Asked if he was surprised Owens would sign with Dallas, Reid again was brief. "I had a pretty good idea that they were interested," he said.

Asked if he regretted ever bringing Owens to Philadelphia, Reid again recited a quick answer.

"I don't look back," he said. "I did what I did."

Owens said at his Dallas press conference that he's not the person that he was portrayed in Philadelphia, that there was another side to the story. Reid was asked if he'd ever seen that "other" side of the story.

"I'm probably going to see it in July," said Reid in reference to the scheduled summer release of Owens' autobiography.

Only after the line of questioning moved on to Donovan McNabb, Jeff Garcia, Reggie Brown and the rest of the current Eagles did Reid warm up to the discussion.

Across the room, Brad Childress was a bit more expansive about the top off-season acquisition by the Cowboys. Childress was Owens' offensive coordinator at Philadelphia. He's now the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.

"He's a phenomenal player between the white lines," Childress said. "He'll probably be much the same as when he came to us in Philadelphia. He'll probably be a good citizen and a very good player. He'll be a model ... this year."

Childress said he expects Cowboys coach Bill Parcells to sit down with Owens very soon.

"I know Bill will probably have a 'get right' meeting with him, tell him what his expectations are, what his rules are," Childress said. "And I think it will go from there."

I am becoming convinced of two things recently:

1) The Dallas Stars are very capable of a Stanley Cup. This is the first time I have felt this way since 2000, but there is no denying it any longer. I think they have all of the pieces in place, now that Willie Mitchell has sealed off the back end in a tense finish as well as anyone since another #2 skated back there. The Power Play is beginning to dominate, and despite the fact that Marty Turco will have to prove it, he has the look of a player ready to rise to the playoff occasion.

2) Dallas does not seem to care. This city seems largely indifferent to the Dallas Stars, despite the fact that no team in the sport has more wins, and they broke the 100 point barrier before we turn to April. I feel it is my duty to bring you up to speed on this, so I will. The Stars are a great story that you should check out before you miss it. I think we may have a World Championship in this town in the next few months, and the smart money right now says it is the hockey team that will win it. But, will anyone notice?

The Stars this week re-upped head coach Dave Tippett and assistants Rick Wilson, Mark Lamb and Andy Moog through the 2007-08 season to ensure they have their bases covered, whichever the case.

That group has been together for four seasons to date, and Tippett has a record of 135-68-30 over that time -- the best mark among active coaches.

The willingness to reward hard work and on-ice results with security is the backbone of one of the league's best-run franchises.

It's also why teams with their sights set on impending UFAs Jason Arnott and Willie Mitchell would do well not to get their hopes up. Free agents don't leave Dallas unless there's no place for them on the team (as was the case with Ed Belfour and Derian Hatcher). Given that the Stars should have enough financial wiggle room to accommodate both players -- and that the team should be able to compete for the Cup for the next several years -- there's no reason to think Arnott and Mitchell will break that trend.

This is almost the same injury that tormented Eaton last summer, forcing him to miss more than two months with two different trips to the disabled list.

"Pretty much one pitch, the last pitch I threw," Eaton said. "Similar injury, different tendon. It feels the same, just a different part."

Last year's injury was to a tendon in the middle of the finger. This pain is more toward the base but Eaton didn't like his chances of avoiding an extended stay on the disabled list.

"I can feel the finger, and slim [chance] it is on it's way out," Eaton said. Eaton, acquired from San Diego in the offseason, faced just nine batters before feeling the tendon bite him on one curveball to Padres outfielder Dave Roberts.

Trainer Jamie Reed and Showalter went to the mound and Eaton immediately left the game.

Asked what his first thoughts were, Eaton said, "Three weeks ... no throwing."

Eaton was supposed to start on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers but said, "Judging by last year, I'm going to miss more than one start. It hurts just to squeeze the ball. I knew I couldn't put any pressure on it to throw a breaking ball."

James followed Kobe Bryant, Jason Richardson and – oh, yeah – Kobe again as players who have topped 40 points against the Mavericks, dumping 46 on them as the Cleveland Cavaliers danced to a 107-94 victory Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena.

For the second consecutive night, an MVP candidate overshadowed Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 29 points but could not will his team to victory. Just as Detroit's Chauncey Billups had one-upped Nowitzki on Tuesday night, James did it 24 hours later.

And so, the Mavericks (54-18) have a two-game losing streak. They also lost consecutive games against Milwaukee and San Antonio before Christmas.

"We don't like losing one in a row," coach Avery Johnson said. "You can only imagine how two in a row feels."

ESPN's confirmation of Mitchell as the head of the investigation comes after Wednesday's New York Times reported that Selig was on the verge of announcing an investigation into steroid use by Bonds and other players as detailed in the book "Game of Shadows" and that Mitchell's name was being floating around baseball circles as the outside person to head such an investigation.

ESPN has learned that Bonds and any other current player who may be part of this investigation will be allowed to play while the investigation is ongoing.

Selig has been under pressure for weeks to form an investigation. Two books being released this spring accuse Bonds of using steroids, human growth hormone and insulin for at least five seasons beginning in 1998 -- "Game of Shadows," written by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters, and "Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero" by Jeff Pearlman. Baseball did not test for performance-enhancing substances until after the 2002 season, and Bonds has denied ever knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

They came to the Palace of Auburn Hills to make a stand, then wound up on the wrong end of one as the Detroit defense stood strong at the end, holding the Mavericks to two points in the final 4:30 and nothing in the final 2:19.

After Marquis Daniels' short baseline jumper put the Mavericks up 88-86 with 4:34 left, they were outscored 11-2, a clunker of an ending to an otherwise charged-up game.

"That's as good as it gets in this league," said Jerry Stackhouse of the playoff-intensive atmosphere. "It was a live feeling in the building. And we were right there.

"We're much better than we showed tonight. We normally close games out a lot better than we did. I just think we didn't play smart. That cost us the game, as well as offensive rebounds throughout the game."

The Pistons had lost by 37 at American Airlines Center in November. This time, neither team led by more than four points in the fourth quarter until Detroit pulled away in the final seconds.

The Mavericks did just enough to stay in the Pistons' shadow. And they did just enough wrong to sabotage themselves.

"We fought," Johnson said. "This was a playoff atmosphere. We wish we'd have been able to match their intensity down the stretch. But we didn't. We just did not execute. We were hesitant. We didn't get to the foul line. We didn't deserve to get there. We didn't make strong enough moves."

Stackhouse, who played for the Pistons from 1997 to 2002, said he still feels comfortable at the Palace.

"Obviously, I'm quite familiar with these rims," he said. "And this was a competitive atmosphere. If you can't get up for that game, something's wrong."

The Mavericks got numerous strong efforts against the Pistons, including a nine-rebound showing from DeSagana Diop, who will be making an emotional return tonight to Cleveland, where he played his first four NBA seasons.

It was Diop's block of Rasheed Wallace's layup that helped spring the Mavericks to an 84-80 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Diop and Erick Dampier helped battle the Pistons' tandem of Ben Wallace and Antonio McDyess to a standoff.

But there were problems, such as Marquis Daniels' Shawn Bradley-like six fouls in 12 minutes. And the Mavs had no answers for Chauncey Billups or Rasheed Wallace, who like Stackhouse is a former North Carolina standout. He had 21 points and 10 boards, then threw Stackhouse some love.

"I wish he would have gotten it going against somebody else," Wallace said. "But Stack did his thing."

Dominguez was able to speak Tuesday. If not with his performance, he made his case verbally.

"I feel like I belong in the majors," an animated Dominguez said through an interpreter. "I think I can help this team. But it's not my decision. If they don't want me here, it's going to be very sad for me, but I'll still have a job to do in the minors."

Dominguez worked through the first two innings Tuesday in a brisk 25 pitches. In the third, though, he lost the strike zone.

He threw 12 balls in one 14-pitch stretch. Then Rangers left fielder Steve Murphy lost a ball in the sun. The next batter, Mark Kotsay, bounced a ball to first.

Dominguez was slow to get to the bag to take a throw from Phil Nevin. Showalter indicated it wasn't the first time this spring Dominguez has been late to the bag. "That was my mistake," Dominguez said. "There were some little things that happened in the inning and I let it get away. I have to control myself more and stay focused."

The Cowboys join Cincinnati, Denver, Kansas City, Miami, Oakland and Seattle as teams with permission to speak with Harrington. He visited with the Dolphins on Tuesday and has a visit scheduled with the Bengals today.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said his pro personnel staff has studied Harrington, but "I haven't talked to Bill [Parcells] about it at all."

Harrington, the third overall pick of the 2002 draft, has two years left on his contract, but the Lions have given him permission to seek a trade. He is scheduled to earn $4.45 million in base salary in both 2006 and '07. He's also is scheduled to receive a $4 million roster bonus June 15.

Amaré Stoudemire did not want to talk Tuesday about how his comeback has been called off after three games.

And that said it all. He seems to be tired of reliving why his knees still ache. He seems to want to avoid rehashing how his past two games regressed into a shell of his former athletic presence. He does not want to give answers because perhaps he has none about what will happen now.

Stoudemire may not be back for the rest of this road trip or the rest of this season, a possibility that many suggested should have been the case all along. He will resume rehabilitation activity with the Suns holding out hope that he could recapture his athleticism with scrimmages and conditioning sessions rather than frustrating games like he had Saturday and Monday.

The Mavericks called about two weeks ago when they were dealing with a flurry of injuries.

"He said he would call back the next day. He never did. So we dropped the idea," Mavs owner Mark Cuban said via e-mail.

The Spurs also put in a call to Gist's office about a month ago, though nothing came of it.

"These teams recognize Latrell's value, and they've gone to their top players to ask them whether Spree would be a good fit," Gist said. Sprewell made $14.6 million last season in the final year of a contract he signed after rehabilitating while with the New York Knicks. Sprewell led the Knicks to the 1999 NBA Finals after serving a 70-game suspension for his attack on former Golden State coach P.J. Carlesimo early in the 1997-98 season.

After turning down a three-year $21-million extension from the Timberwolves, explaining he had "a family to feed," Sprewell went unsigned last summer as an unrestricted free agent.

According to Gist, Sprewell made the mistake of waiting on the Los Angeles Lakers at a time when the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers all were expressing interest in signing him. But the Timberwolves and Lakers were unable to agree on a sign-and-trade deal that would satisfy both teams, and then other teams turned to other free agents. So by the time training camps started, Sprewell's only choice was to play for the veteran's minimum, which he feels is beneath him.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

The Mavericks and Pistons won't have a fire-and-brimstone rivalry unless they someday meet in the Finals. But since the Pistons got whacked by 37 points at American Airlines Center – their first loss this season after starting 8-0 – tonight's months-removed meeting at The Palace of Auburn Hills offers an intriguing story line.

Add the Mavericks' quest for credibility, and it has the chance to be a fun evening. "Dallas is good," Detroit's Richard Hamilton said. "Their record speaks for itself. But when everybody was telling us we had an opportunity for 70 wins, [I said] if we don't win a championship, that's not a successful season for us.

"Whatever you do in the regular season is easy. You really got to step up in the playoffs. Until you do that, the regular season really doesn't mean anything." Hard to miss that message if you're the Mavericks, although they would like to think averaging 57 wins the last five seasons means something. And it does, just like being on pace to win 63 games this season is an achievement.

But Rasheed Wallace amplified Hamilton's point.

"They've had good records the last few years," he said, "but weren't able to go far into the playoffs. That's one of the knocks people are saying about them."

The Dirk Nowitzki-for-MVP bandwagon gets rolling at full speed tonight when the Mavericks face the Detroit Pistons in Auburn Hills with the stakes being ...

Wait a minute. The Who-for-What?

Perhaps we should take this thing one step at a time. These are, after all, the Dallas Mavericks.

In a quarter of a century, the Mavericks have never produced a Most Valuable Player candidate, let alone an MVP. Goodness, this team's never even had an MIP which, if you aren't paying attention, is Most Improved Player. Current Maverick Darrell Armstrong won that honor in Orlando in 1999, just so you know.

The Mavericks never had a first-team All-NBA player until Nowitzki cracked through that barrier a year ago.

Volquez shelled in his last start …and folks, the 5th starter race is turning comical…But, in case you forgot where I am on this: Juan Dominguez was 6 out of 10 quality starts last August and September. Give him the ball. And Honestly, a trade for that 5th arm is the best option…

Right-hander Edinson Volquez might have pitched himself out of the competition for the final spot in the rotation.

He had a horrid 38-pitch first inning that deteriorated into a six-run rally by the Mariners. Volquez, who allowed Milwaukee five runs in two innings Wednesday, fell apart after consecutive infield hits to start the game. The Mariners sent 10 batters to the plate and had five straight hits at one point.

Right-hander Juan Dominguez will try again to gain some degree of momentum today when he faces Oakland in Phoenix. Right-hander R.A. Dickey, who threw six shutout innings Friday, will pitch an inning or two and is scheduled to come back Saturday and start the exhibition finale. The schedule would put Dickey on pace to start the fifth game of the season.

New Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens, who, in 2000, celebrated a pair of touchdowns on the midfield star at Texas Stadium, will be allowed to celebrate in the Eagles' end zone at Lincoln Financial Field this season. But, if a new rule limiting players' celebrations is passed this week, Owens won't be able to use the football as a prop or go down to the ground.

His celebration also can't be deemed excessive.

"He better hurry up," said Falcons general manager Rich McKay, the co-chairman of the competition committee.

The rule will be enforced by a 15-yard penalty and is subject to a fine.

Dan Rooney has proposed a rule that would prevent teams from making fans buy tickets to other games if they want to purchase one for a specific high-profile contest. It is an obvious attempt to stop Steelers opponents on the road from forcing the team's fans to buy tickets to other games if they want to purchase a ticket to the game against the Steelers. The Bengals and Chargers were among those teams on the Steelers' schedule last year who had those policies. The proposal is given little chance of passing.

Lovie Smith has two years left on his contract, but the Bears have decided not to extend or renegotiate it even though Smith is the lowest-paid head coach in the NFL at $1.35 million a year.

Still cautious after a bad experience redoing the contract of previous coach Dick Jauron, club President Ted Phillips said he wants to see another good year from NFL coach of the year Smith before he opens discussions about a new contract.

In only two seasons, Smith's market-value contract is out of date. Suddenly the dean of coaches in the NFC North, he will make less than Minnesota's Brad Childress and Detroit's Rod Marinelli—each $2 million a year—and less than Green Bay's Mike McCarthy ($1.9 million)—all starting their first seasons as head coaches.

By delaying a contract extension, the Bears will lose money if Smith has another good year, even though the perception now is they are trying to save money. "It's not about the money," Phillips said.

And after two games in NFL Europe, he's the league's leading passer and his team is undefeated.

"It felt really good just to be back running the show," said Henson, who last was an unquestioned starter in 2000 as a junior at U-M. "Being under center is the most exciting thing for me, to be in the flow of the game, make plays to help the team when the game is on the line and be out there in the fourth quarter."

Henson said he hadn't played in the fourth quarter of a game since August, when he got some clean-up duty in an exhibition game with the Dallas Cowboys.

In two years with the Cowboys, Henson has played in seven regular-season NFL games -- all in 2004. Last season, he roamed the sidelines behind coach Bill Parcells as a third-stringer and eventually expressed an interest in going to Europe to get some playing experience.

"Dallas told me to get used to being on the field, game situations and running an offense," Henson said. "The playing part will take care of itself."

Henson, 26, beat out former Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang for the starting job in Germany. He has played the first, third and fourth quarters in the first two games and played well.

He leads NFL Europe with a 91.3 passer rating, with 22 completions in 35 attempts for 229 yards and one touchdown and no interceptions. In Saturday's 22-0 victory over the Berlin Thunder, he was 17-for-24 for 171 yards and a TD.

I have received quite a few emails regarding the Cowboys trading up to #2 with the Saints and having their choice of Matt Leinart or Vince Young. This is a popular idea from Cowboys fans, so I thought I would answer the idea on the blog.

Monday, March 27, 2006

See this is the good thing about having your own blog. Despite the fact that almost no readers care about the college hockey playoffs, I am selecting this dramatic victory as my lead story!

From the stick of UW defenseman Josh Engel to the stick of UW freshman winger Jack Skille and past a stunned Cornell goaltender David McKee.

"I just buried my head and shot it," an elated but exhausted Skille said after ending the second-longest game in NCAA playoff history. "That's usually what I do. I try to get all of it."

Skille got it all Sunday evening at the Resch Center.

His one-timer a little more than 11 minutes into the third overtime lifted UW to a 1-0 victory over Cornell in the Midwest regional final and sparked an emotional victory celebration. On the ice, the UW bench emptied instantaneously as Skille disappeared beneath his teammates. In the stands, the crowd of 8,086 fans, almost all dressed in UW attire, roared with a mix of pleasure and relief.

"We're going to the Frozen Four," Skille said, repeating the thought that crossed his mind when he saw the puck slam into the back of the net at 11 minutes 13 seconds of the third overtime. "We're going to Milwaukee."

UW, which fell one victory short of a Frozen Four berth in 1993 when the championship was played at the Bradley Center, didn't miss this chance.

The Badgers (28-10-3) face Maine (28-11-2) at 7 p.m. on April 6. Boston College (25-12-3) and North Dakota (27-10-2) meet at 2 p.m. in the first semifinal. The winners meet in the title game at 6 p.m. on April 8.

Cornell (22-9-4) made UW work harder for this victory than any other this season.The teams combined for an NCAA-playoff record 100 shots, with UW peppering McKee with 60. Cornell stymied five UW power-play chances. McKee made six consecutive saves, in a span of 57 seconds, during the last of those power plays, late in the third period.

McKee, a Hobey Baker Award finalist last year, and Elliott, the only goaltender on the Hobey list this season, put on a show worthy of their resumes.

Elliott was credited with 40 saves and extended his streak of shutouts to three - a first in program history. His two biggest saves came in the third overtime, when he denied Big Red left winger Topher Scott on an odd-man rush and stoned left winger Matt Moulson at the doorstep.

"It's pretty incredible what he's doing," UW left winger Nick Licari said of Elliott, who was named the regional's Most Outstanding Player.

McKee made 59 saves and seemed to be getting stronger as the game went on for the Big Red (22-9-4). The winning goal came on a play when he thought a teammate would be stationed at the half-boards of the defensive zone. Engel was there instead and his quick pass to Skille left McKee vulnerable.

"(Skille) one-timed it and didn't give me time to react," McKee said. "It was a good play by him."

Before CornellMcKee joined the Big Red after a successful season with the Texas Tornado of the North American Hockey League. He posted a record of 26-7 with a goals against average of 2.41 and a save percentage of .899. McKee was named to the NAHL first team and was also named to the all-rookie squad.

Little-known George Mason led mighty Connecticut by a point late in the first half. Within minutes, it trailed by 12. George Mason, which had never won an N.C.A.A. tournament game in its history until nine days earlier, somehow regained the lead against a team that had won two national championships since 1999.

George Mason lost the lead four more times. It took it back every time, repeatedly sending the Verizon Center crowd, rooting for history and the home team, into rafter-rattling delirium. A sign behind the George Mason bench read, "Can you hear us now?" The message came through, loud and clear, after five minutes of overtime. With players dancing and administrators crying, a deep voice spun a crazy, swirling dreamlike celebration both deeper into euphoria and sharper into reality. "Your attention," a voice blared above the din. "Would the winners of the Washington D.C. regional please assemble on the center stage."

Up jumped the George Mason basketball players. Above the chaos, the scoreboard silently offered nothing but facts: Mason 86, UConn 84. The moment will last forever.

Dear Yahoo!:What's the lowest-seeded team to ever advance to the men's Final Four? What about to win it all?JeffreyBurke, Virginia

Dear Jeffrey:Everyone loves an underdog. And nowhere can you find more mutts howling for an upset than at the men's NCAA tournament. First-round shockers are to be expected at the Big Dance, but most party crashers bow out in the middle rounds to make room for the big, bad power schools. Have any Cinderallas stayed past midnight? Let's go to the videotape for a look.

Ever since the field expanded from 48 to 64 teams in 1985, the lowest-seeded squad to make it to the Final Four was LSU in 1986. An 11 seed, the Tigers lost to eventual champion Louisville. The lowest seed to win the championship was eighth-seeded Villanova in 1985. They capped an amazing run by toppling Patrick Ewing's mighty Georgetown team.

The Redskins' spending does create problems, such as having players no longer on the roster counting against a current cap. Eventually, the Redskins will have to pay a price against the cap for paying these prices for players now. At least that's what their opponents hope.

But remember this: All it has gotten the Redskins is one playoff victory since Snyder bought the team in 1999.

If the Mavericks really want to get Johnson's attention, it will happen Tuesday night against Detroit. A much-needed two-day break should let the Mavericks freshen up before their visit to the Pistons, who are heavy favorites to return to the NBA Finals in June. Having beaten them by 37 points in November, the Mavericks figure to see an angry bunch of Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

"They're going to play with a chip on their shoulder," Dirk Nowitzki said. "They got the best record in the league, and they're going to come out firing. They're so balanced, you can't really concentrate on one guy. It should be a great defensive battle."

That's the hope, anyway. The Mavericks are one game removed from probably their worst defensive game of the season when Golden State punctured them for 122 points at American Airlines Center.

"Avery gave us an earful after that defensive outing," Nowitzki said. "We scored 121 at home and still lost at home. That's not really our style. We want to set the tone defensively every game."

The question is whether that's realistic for these Mavericks. Their offense remains much more dangerous than their defense, which is why national media members continue to disregard them as unworthy of inclusion with San Antonio, Detroit and even Phoenix since the return of Amare Stoudemire.

Compliments of the NFL's performance-based pay program, Rob Petitti has a freshly invested $100,000 tucked away in a mutual fund, a special-order hot tub that is to be delivered to his Dallas home sometime Friday, an itch to make one more big purchase, and if possible, even more motivation for the 2006 season.

"To tell the truth, I was shocked, because I didn't realize [the PBP program] could be worth this kind of money," Petitti said of the bonanza bonus that arrived in his mailbox last week. "A guy told me, like, 'Oh, you might get $80,000 or $90,000,' and I was pretty cool with that. And then I found out how much I was going to get, and I couldn't believe it."

The second-year veteran, who started all 16 games for the Dallas Cowboys at right tackle in 2005, is now a true believer. Only the 209th prospect selected in the 2005 draft, having dropped into the sixth round after an injury-plagued senior season at the University of Pittsburgh overshadowed what had been an otherwise superb college career, Petitti is No. 1 on this year's performance-based pay roll call.

There is a great story about a locla kid that plays hockey. He only has one normal arm. I have coached against him several times and he is a great hockey player. he will be going to Latvia to represent the USA. great story, chek it out.

Turn down your speakers if you are at work and F-bombed Tupac offends the dude in the next cubicle over: NBA Fights …it will make you hate the Jazz all over again…

Meredith sent me this gold:

Just got this email from my friend...y'all need to get to the bottom of this:

"Chicago Cubs reliever Ryan Dempster is in the back of ESPN magazine this week (the one with Chri$ Paul on the cover) and he was asked if he saw Brokeback Mountain. He said yes, and he thinks there ought be a Brokeback Dugout. Dan Patrick asks who would be his Heath if he was Jack, and he said Gabe Kapler! He said not because he thinks he's gay, but he is a really well-built handsome man."

There will seldom be college hockey leading off the blog. But then again, it has been since 1992 since Wisconsin has been to the Frozen Four.

Friday, March 24, 2006

"I'm just glad the shot went in," said Paulino, who was two-of-eight from the field before his game-winning shot. "I haven't thought about the importance. I'm just living the moment."

The immediate significance for the Longhorns: Texas is one victory away from its second trip to the Final Four in four years. The Longhorns (30-6) will play No. 4 seed LSU (26-8) at 3:40 p.m. Saturday at the Georgia Dome for the right to advance to the Final Four in Indianapolis. LSU knocked off top-seeded Duke 62-54 in the other semifinal.

West Virginia had tied the game at 71 on a 3-pointer by Kevin Pittsnogle — one of 15 in the game for the Mountaineers — with five seconds remaining. The Longhorns immediately got the ball inbounds, and A.J. Abrams fed Paulino waiting on the left wing.

"The whole play was just to get down the court and get a shot up and see what happens," Paulino said. "Luckily it went in."

West Virginia (22-11) rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to briefly take the lead in the second half. The Mountaineers wiped out most of the halftime lead with a frantic 54 seconds to begin the second half, which included a pair of 3-pointers.

By the way, the conversation has come up, “has a team ever won the NCAA Football and Basketball titles in the same year?”. Also, Texas is presently the Baseball title holder, too, but it was the previous school year. If any of you have the answer, send it in. Otherwise, I will research that later today.

In fact, here is an email:

Ah-ite Sports Sturm,

I got a sports question for you. If Texas now goes on to win the NCAA tourney (now that Duke and Gonzaga are out of the way, it is definitely possible), has any school ever won a baseball, football, and basketball championship in a calendar year? And if we do, can you just throw Texas bone and admit: We’re Texas… the best that ever was? Never listen…

The Mavericks overcame a seven-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter and had a six-point lead with 35 seconds left. But after making 30 consecutive free throws to start the game, the Mavericks missed three of their final eight when Golden State was forced to foul.

That set up a prayer from Richardson that was answered at the buzzer and ruined a sensational 51-point night by Dirk Nowitzki, who was serenaded to Most Valuable Player chants but would have traded everything for a free throw in the final 30 seconds.

Complete financial details were not immediately available, and the two sides were still fine-tuning some elements of the deal late into the night, one team source acknowledged. But sources said the contract is worth approximately $3.5 million per year and that Johnson will receive a $5 million signing bonus on a contract that could be officially signed as early as Friday.

Under Jerry Jones' stewardship the Cowboys had success finding unknown kickers from Chris Boniol to Richie Cunningham to Billy Cundiff.

Last year, that luck ran out, so Thursday the Cowboys jumped into the expensive end of the free-agent kicker pool by signing Mike Vanderjagt to a three-year deal worth $5.5 million, including a $2.5 million signing bonus.

In eight years in Indianapolis, Vanderjagt became the NFL's most accurate kicker in history, making 87.5 percent of his tries (217-of-248). The Cowboys have not had a kicker make 80 percent for a season since 1998.

NASCAR on FOX's rain-out coverage Sunday from Atlanta Motor Speedway posted higher ratings than the NBA and PGA, according to BenMaller.com TV moles.

The Hollywood Hotel's extended rain broadcast with Chris Myers and Jeff Hammond proved to be more popular than an NBA matchup between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James and the final round of a PGA event.

Sunday’s rain coverage generated a 3.3/7 overnight rating according to Nielsen Media Research, enough to beat head-to-head competition from a Lakers vs. Cavs NBA game on ABC by +39% (3.3/7 vs. 2.0/4) and the final round of the PGA’s Bay Hill Invitational on NBC by +18% (3.3/7 vs. 2.7/6).

On its first major Cowboys story as the team’s flagship station, KTCK-AM (1310, The Ticket) stayed true to its tone. Host Bob Sturm gave Owens a decent grilling in his first one-on-one interview as a Cowboy, and pre- and post-press conference roundtables mixed in everything from George Dunham’s unyielding support of the team to Williams’ assertion that Owens is an “a-hole.” So far, concerns about the station cowering to its new master seem to have been exaggerated.

It’s early, but not too premature to appreciate the Cowboys’ shift to The Ticket. Former flagship station KLUV-FM (98.7) probably wouldn’t have carried the press conference live, much less held a forum or taken calls from listeners afterward. So, how much will we not miss KLUV? As one industry insider told me recently, “They made no effort to be informative on the Cowboys. They were an oldies station that just happened have the Cowboys on weekends.” Yikes. –Richie Whitt

Having seen ratings success of late with reality show Pros Vs. Joes, the network’s total audience was still down 16 percent from last year in February, averaging 1.28 million total viewers in prime.

Going forward programming-wise, the network has renewed its contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship to allow for four new seasons of the reality series The Ultimate Fighter, 10 live fight cards and 26 hour-long episodes of UFC Unleashed, which features old fights.

Here are his indoor / outdoor stats vs Vinatieri's, including stats for what Yahoo considers kicks when the game is "close" and "close/late"...

VanderjagtIndoors 87.6 (127/145)Outdoors 87.4 (90/103)

VinatieriIndoors 94.4 (34/36)Outdoors 80.4 (229/285)

VanderjagtClose 89.1 (90/101)Close/Late 89.5 (34/38)

VinatieriClose 80.0 (136/170)Close/Late 78.4 (29/37)

I think most people just have his Charlie Brown kick from last season on their mind...

P1 Hank

Wow, those are shocking numbers! And don’t forget tonight’s television news!

Boys,

As we all mourn the passing of Lem, and contemplate the bastard-ness of Shane and rath of Vic, I can understand Bob's grief and inability to find out the exact air times for the syndication of the show on Spike TV.

I fought through it all and checked on SpikeTV.com, and according to the schedule on that site, syndication of The Shield will be Fridays at 9pm and 10:00 (they say 10 and 11, but I assme those are EST times b/c Dish Network says they air here at 9 and 10), with a re-broadcast of what appears to be the same shows on Sunday night at 11:00 pm and midnight (that's local time again).

This Friday at 9:00 is "Pilot" and at 10:00 is "our Gang (Episode #2). Those shows are again scheduled for Sunday at 11:00 and midnight. So two chances to watch.

Next Friday (31st) will be "The Spread" (Ep #3) and "Dawg Days" (Ep #4) (and those two will be re-broadcast Sunday at 11:00 and midnight).

Just wanted everyone to know!

Keep up the good work, and get Lem back on the air ASAP so we can find out what he really thinks about having a grenade in his pants and I assume being out of the show. But as South Park proved last night, he could come back as Darth Lem... And if you don't know what I am talking about with that reference, check out CNN.com's video clips. Those guys hate Tom Cruise more than y'all do.

Sign me a P-1, but keep my name out out of things,please, as I am supposed to be working!

I said it before, and I will say it again: Vince Young is better than Mike Vick. He was in college, and he will be in the pros. Some will say that doesn’t mean much since Vick has had an uneven pro career, but my point is don’t bet against this kid. And PLEASE, do not put more weight on “pro day” than the Rose Bowl!

He threw a variety of passes, all from under an imaginary center. He took three-, five- and seven-step drops, something he didn't do his last two seasons at UT, and threw on rollouts, bootlegs and scrambles. He threw flare patterns and screen passes; quick outs and intermediate routes; deep posts, flags and go patterns. In between completing 52 of 57 throws — the consensus among the scouts on hand was that only two passes couldn't be caught — he clapped, shouted, "Yes sirrrr!" and played to the audience.

At one point, after a rollout took him close to the sideline, he looked up, smiled and said, "Hi, Grandma."

Houston's Gary Kubiak, one of two NFL head coaches on hand, said the Texans "are very open minded" about who they would select with the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft.

"We have a lot of homework to do between now and the draft," said Kubiak, whose team is still expected to take Southern California halfback Reggie Bush.

C.O. Brocato, the Tennessee Titans' national coordinator of college scouting, said Young showed "he's got the arm, and that's the big thing.

"We need to bring him along slowly, like we did with McNair," he said. "If we can — if whoever gets him can — give him a year to play behind the starter and learn, that would be best."

The Dallas Cowboys and city officials are close to an agreement that would bring the team's training camp to the Alamodome for at least a three-year period beginning in 2007, the San Antonio Express-News has learned.

The deal, negotiated by Mayor Phil Hardberger and Cowboys director of marketing John Hickman, includes an option for an extension, sources said.

"Discussions have been ongoing," Hardberger said Wednesday. "But there isn't a finalized deal, and no contract has been signed."

It may have been four months ago, but it was a loss that shook the Mountaineers' confidence. To that point, West Virginia was a team that closed the deal at the end of games, not choked them away.

Beilein's team proved its mettle in the NCAA Tournament last year with a two-point win against Creighton in the first round, a double-overtime takedown of Wake Forest in the second round and a 65-60 victory over Texas Tech in the Sweet 16. Against UT, West Virginia missed the front end of three one-and-one free throw opportunities with a lead in the final 52 seconds. Five days later, the Mountaineers gagged a three-point lead with 56 seconds left and lost to LSU in overtime, 71-68.

In the loss to UT, LaMarcus Aldridge hit a putback with 3.6 seconds left and then blocked a shot by West Virginia forward Mike Gansey as time expired, allowing the Longhorns to steal the victory.

Jussi Jokinen continues to establish himself as the greatest rookie to play for the "Dallas" Stars and the best for the Minnesota/Dallas franchise since Mike Modano laced up the skates for the first time in the NHL in 1989-90.

Jokinen had a goal and two assists in a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night to crack the 50-point barrier, the best season for a rookie since the Stars moved to Dallas in 1993 and the best season since Modano had 75 points. Jokinen won't reach Neal Broten's rookie franchise record of 98 points in 1981-82, but he still is impressing people.

---

Jussi Jokinen has the best season by a rookie since the Stars moved to Dallas in 1993. The top five:

The Spurs were making the first stop of a five-game, 10-day trip, their longest since they spent 11 days in a row on the road from Feb. 25-March 6, 1993. They also knew they were walking into a buzz saw Wednesday.

While the Spurs labored to put away Golden State on Tuesday night, the Nuggets were enjoying their third day of rest, though many of them spent it on the training table.

Backup point guard Earl Boykins is expected to be out at least another three weeks after fracturing his left hand last week. Martin and Marcus Camby, both coping with knee injuries, were healthy enough to play Wednesday.

Despite their string of injuries, the Nuggets have taken firm control of the Northwest Division race. Anthony deserves a lot of credit for that. Ruben Patterson and Reggie Evans, acquired on the NBA's trade deadline four weeks ago, also have helped.

"It's even more of an intense, rock 'em, sock 'em group now," Popovich said. "I think they're one of the most physical teams in the league."

That wasn't good news for the Spurs, who, once again, looked like they were playing on dead legs. Denver ran out to a 13-4 lead in the first five minutes.

Seriously, there is something weird about the Spurs this year. They certainly aren’t a bad team, and in fact, they still may be the best team in the West. But there is something about them that has lost that luster. They don’t seem impossible to compete with anymore. We will know soon enough…

A second-tier American team left German fans in a first-rate tirade at halftime of Wednesday's friendly, which, to that point, lacked both goals and any signs of artfulness.

Then, in seconds, everything fell apart for the United States, and the jeers burst into applause of relief and exultant celebration by the 64,500 home fans, as Germany routed the United States, 4-1, easing the enormous pressure that has been building on Jürgen Klinsmann, the manager of the host nation, as the start of the World Cup approaches on June 9.

Forward Miroslav Klose scored a goal and collected two assists as the Germans healed some bruised self-assurance by exploiting the left flank and interior of a tattered and distracted American defense.

Disaster struck after the second-half kickoff, when the Americans played the ball backward and defender Steve Cherundolo committed a foul on the German captain Michael Ballack, leaving Germany with a free kick 25 yards from the American goal. Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who had just entered, launched the direct kick, with Klose left wide open in front of the net.

The ball appeared to miss Klose's shin before it bounced and eluded Kasey Keller in goal, giving Germany a 1-0 lead only 21 seconds into the second half. This angered Bruce Arena, the American manager, who called the foul and its harmful result "very foolish, very poor play on our part."

An annoyed Keller said: "You can't just let balls bounce around in the box, because they'll end up in the back of the net. It started with a really stupid kickoff. It was our own fault. We put ourselves under a lot of pressure to start the half and it just got worse from there."

We were discussing this topic last night, and I still plan on my own research, but for now, here is Tom’s answer:

Bob,

After the T.O. signing my boss wondered out loud how many of Campo's guys are still with the team. So I went back and looked at the rosters from Jan 2003 thru 2006.

I have to say that from a sports perspective you are, in my opinion, the best the Ticket has to offer. However there can only be one word to describe you behavior regarding T.O.; hypocrite. From calling him a cancer to thinking this is a good idea. You had a HSO, stick to it. Not that it matters to you or the station, but I think I?m like many P1s and have lost any respect we had for the Ticket and you with this most egregious flip flop.

Kevin Blair

Honestly, Kevin does speak for many of you. How could I possibly laugh when the Eagles signed him in 2004, and yet cheer when the Cowboys grab him in 2006??? What a hypocrite! Or am I?

You are not alone in this view, which is why I have tried to explain my apparent "flip flop" on this issue.

Team A) On the brink of a world title, clearly one of the top 2 teams in the league was 1 player away. They had to outbid others and outmanuever others-

Team B) Not on the brink of anything, but can get the player at an enourmous discount, which if it works could make considerable gains on the league. The player also faces his compensation being tied to his behaviour- They can cut him at anytime, and aside from the $5 bonus, have nothing to lose if they tire of him-

I did not endorse team A's gamble because of what they stood to lose- I do endorse team B because they have very little to lose, and the price they paid was too much to pass up.

I hope this explains the difference-

Thanks for listening to BaD Radio!

Bob

Kevin continues his assault:

Bob,

Everything I have read (nfl.com, espn.com, AP, etc.) indicates that he is guaranteed $10 mil, not $5 mil as you state. Even at $5 mil who were they bidding against? This is A-rod or Chan ho at Valley Ranch, there is no indication they were bidding against anyone else, so why give $10 (or $5) million? More importantly, this misses the point of your initial cancer HSO, even at the league minimum your opinion was that he was a cancer, a plague on the team, that doesn’t change at any price. You were against him signing with Philly because (perhaps to simplify) he is a bad person, that hasn’t changed, so you should think this is a cancer on the Cowboys. Either that, or admit other pressures have mandated you change your stance. Some times we all just have to salute and carry our orders, but don’t whiz in our ears and tell us it’s raining. You’re better than that. Thanks for the response.

KB

His early comments need a response. For instance, regardless of what he read, Owens is only promised $5 million. They could cut him in training camp, and he only gets $5 million. (Only!). As I explained on the show (evidently, not everyone listens to every minute carefully) they were not bidding against Denver or Kansas City. If they were, they did overbid. But they were trying to find a price that would keep Owens happy. He is a difficult human being, and if you are to hop into bed with him, then you better offer him a contract that will keep him satisfied for an extended period of time. Let’s say you could get him for the minimum. He would likely take it rather than quit football, but he would feel insulted. At his first chance, it would be Philadelphia all over again. How does that make sense for Jones? Once you make the decision that you want him, and that you think he can carry you places you could not go without him, then you pay him what that is worth to you. The Cowboys decided 3 years/$25 million, and Owens was pleased, and told me that he will be happy for all 3 years when it comes to money. Can you believe him?

Also, I never once indicated that I would not take him at league minimum, as KB stated, but once again, allow me to differentiate the difference between Philadelphia’s situation and this one. Aside from what I already said, let’s remember that when he went to Philly, he had never been disciplined by the league, embarrassed at being suspended, shook into the reality that he is out of strikes, and altogether awakened from his insanity. Think of it as a criminal who is finally sent away to prison.

Will he act differently when he gets out? Some will, some won’t. But odds are that once you get a taste of prison, you will think twice before doing it again. I am betting that Owens will be on his very best behavior here BECAUSE of what happened in Philadelphia, not in spite of it. The fact is, as a repeat offender, this criminal may get the death penalty next time. In effect, he may never play football again.

Anyway, that was the response in my head. But once he pulled the same BS that many feel inclined to do these days, which is say that Jerry Jones is telling me what to say due to these broadcast rights, that was all I sent back.

From: sturm1310@aol.com [mailto:sturm1310@aol.com] Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2006 2:21 PMTo: Kevin BlairSubject: Re: Consistencyplease don't take the easy approach to possibly suggest that I am being influenced in my stance. That couldn't possibly be further from the truth.

Thanks for listening to BaD Radio!

Bob

To which Kevin sent:

Similarly please don't take the easy approach by avoiding the crux of the issue. You said he was a cancer based on his actions as a person, you now feel he's not a cancer. A person isn't a cancer at x dollars or in x situation and then not a cancer at y dollars or y situation. To be honest you either have to stick to your opioin or state that your cancer HSO was incorrect. Personally I think you were spot on with the cancer HSO. This debate is about intellectual honesty. Thanks.KB

Wow. What a mouthful he just threw at me! First, I did not say he is not a cancer now. He is most likely still a cancer, but a cancer that just got out on parole and will think twice. Again, I am not hiring him to watch my kids. I just want him to behave and catch Touchdowns. Because of the previous discipline, I expect that he can do that in the short term.

I am not sure why KB cannot get his arms around the concept that I have preached all along. The Eagles had too much to risk to bring in this guy to their mix, especially given that at that time, his price was expensive and he felt that no one could touch him. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have nothing to risk, really, they are a middle of the road team that did not even make the playoffs last year. If you rank the teams in the NFL, the Cowboys are somewhere between 13-18 most likely in the NFL. The risk is minimal. The price is minimal. And he has now been taught a lesson which is that he has about one more chance to enjoy the privilege of making a living playing football.

So, in closing, I believe I was right to be against the Eagles signing him in 2004, and I believe I am right to support the Cowboys taking a chance on him in 2006. It is about risk versus reward. Intellectual Honesty? Not so much. How about understanding a bargain. Would you pay $300,000 for a $275,000 house? No? How about $100,000 for a 275,000 house?

It is a bargain because you paid nothing to acquire him. You paid him a fair fee on a year-by-year basis. And you risk almost nothing as a team.

Hopefully, this makes sense to most of you. I am not asking everyone to agree, but hopefully you can at least comprehend my logic.

Oh, back to the flagship stuff. I promise the 3500 daily readers of this blog (our growth has kind of stalled here, so tell your friends how mediocre this blog is) a Bob Sturm exclusive. I promise to tell you if I am ever told to alter my opinions based on our arrangement with the Cowboys. I promise. But, I am confident it won’t happen, and those accusations that roll in this week make me crazy. What was an opinion that was born in my brain just 2 weeks ago, is now alleged propaganda straight from the desk of Jerry Jones. It really sort of drives me crazy, but I guess it goes with the territory. Hey, it is a nice problem to have I guess, since we now carry the Cowboys games, which is something everyone who works here is very proud of.

Guard Larry Allen, the team's longest-tenured player and the last remaining link to the Super Bowl titles of the '90s, is no longer a Cowboy.

The team released the 12-year veteran Tuesday for salary-cap reasons.

"This decision is a tough one for me personally," Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said in a statement. "Larry has been the best in pro football for a long time. His ability and performance set a standard for excellence at his position in the NFL for many years, and we are grateful for his contributions to the Dallas Cowboys.

"We have come to this crossroad today with concern for managing our resources with respect to the immediate and long-term financial structure of our team. Just as importantly, we give great consideration and respect to Larry's future and his ability to explore his professional options. We have also made it clear that the door is open for one of those options to include a return to the Cowboys.

"On behalf of all Dallas Cowboys fans, I salute a sure-fire Pro Football Hall of Famer, Larry Allen."

Allen was scheduled to count $7.55 million against the salary cap for the 2006 season and was due a roster bonus of $2 million on April 1. The Cowboys saved roughly $3.5 million in cap space by releasing him.

---

Allen is the fourth veteran to be released by the Cowboys this off-season, joining defensive tackle La'Roi Glover, receiver Keyshawn Johnson and tight end Dan Campbell.None had Allen's history or rich Cowboys pedigree.

The Rockets are merely playing out the string until they can take their expense-paid trip to Secaucus, N.J., for the draft lottery. Considering what promise their season started with, it's a dismal way to finish. Their last 14 games may seem like jail time.

But that wasn't the Mavericks' concern. They still had to take care of business, which they did with authority, moving ahead by 17 points at halftime and never allowing the advantage to dip back below 10.

The Mavericks weren't sharp. But against the dullest blade in the NBA drawer right now (the Rockets have lost six straight), they didn't have to cut very deep. In their losing skid, the Rockets have scored more than 81 points once. The Mavericks swept the season series, 4-0, and won their 30th home game of the season, one more than last season.

Still, it's hard to get a handle on how well the Mavericks are playing when the competition is modest and they are short four key players.

"I think there's another level for us to go to," Johnson said. "We did some good stuff. We did some bad stuff."

---

Keith Van Horn will be the first to return from the infirmary, probably by early next week if not Saturday in Atlanta. After that, it will be Adrian Griffin, Josh Howard and, lastly, Devin Harris, filtering back to the lineup, Johnson said Tuesday.

"I have a firm schedule," Johnson said. "The worst thing that could happen is if we bring one of those guys back and they [reinjure themselves], then they're in jeopardy for the playoffs. So we have a very conservative plan. The last five or six games, we're optimistic and hopeful to have everybody in uniform. That's what we're shooting for."

Less than a month after he purchased the Mavs, Cuban signed forward Dennis Rodman -- on Feb. 3, 2000. By March 8, the Mavs were fed up with Rodman's shenanigans, waiving him after only 12 games.

In the Cowboys' case, Cuban believes T.O. will pay dividends for owner Jerry Jones."Bad boys usually tend to mellow over time," Cuban said. "At some point, particularly if they haven't won a title and if they are at the top of their game, they realize they can retain their personalities and have fun and avoid some of the drama and hassles they created in the past.

"I'm betting Jerry's timing is perfect and they get a great player who will help the team."---

Mavs guard Darrell Armstrong was beaming after the Cowboys signed Owens. A devout Washington Redskins fan and Cowboy-hater, Armstrong believes Owens will eventually poison the Cowboys.

"The team killer," is what Armstrong calls Owens. "Does he seem cocky? Yeah, and a little arrogant.

"Him and the Cowboys, I hope all of them don't get along, just because I don't like the Cowboys."

With the Nationals off for the first time this spring, Soriano, a veteran second baseman acquired in an offseason trade with the Texas Rangers, did not report to the ballpark Tuesday, when only a few players trickled through.

Soriano told MLB.com that he would decide on Wednesday whether he will play second based on conversations with his wife and his agent, Diego Bentz. "I'm going to think about it," Soriano told the Web site. Jim Bowden, the team's general manager, said via e-mail that he spoke to Bentz, but declined to elaborate on the discussion. Two club sources with knowledge of the situation said Bowden and Bentz were scheduled to speak again late Tuesday night, but that no agreement was expected.

Bentz did not return several phone messages. One high-ranking official with knowledge of the situation said, "It's going to play out [Wednesday] on the field." Two other high-ranking club officials said they were relatively optimistic Soriano would play in left on Wednesday. There were, however, caveats. "We won't know until we see who goes out there," one of the officials said.

The club's position has not changed. The Nationals intend to write Soriano's name in the lineup as the left fielder for Wednesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter, Fla. Should he not report for duty -- and there's a chance he won't even make the trip -- the Nationals would then attempt to put him on baseball's "disqualified list," which would mean he would not earn any pay.

On the day Taylor fired Murray, the day the Kings slipped out of a playoff spot, Taylor became the next figure on the firing line.

And don't think Leiweke will hesitate to pull the trigger if the Kings can't climb past Vancouver or the Mighty Ducks and salvage something from this sour season.

Taylor gave Murray enough time to find new ways to deliver his message after nearly seven seasons. He could not.

Taylor gave him time to revamp a poorly organized power play — please, no more dump-and-chase with a man advantage — but Murray, sometimes too ostentatious about his hard work and long hours, never found time to fix that crucial element. Nor did Murray take the power-play portfolio away from assistant John Van Boxmeer, who lacked creativity and vision and was also fired.

Taylor, and by extension Leiweke, gave Murray more time and resources than any King coach before him, but the wait for the Stanley Cup is 38 years and counting.

"It's probably the right decision, but in part, shame on the players," Leiweke said by telephone from New York, where he was tending to business involving another tentacle of the AEG empire.

"Shame on Jeremy Roenick for not sticking his nose in every night. Shame on the players who laid Andy out to dry. They'd better perform now.

"Dave had no choice. I'm not saying Andy did everything right, because he didn't. But it wasn't a lack of effort on his part. I want every player to look in the mirror, and only a few can say they gave 100%. We've got 12 games left and now what this does is it sends a message to Dave and everybody that we're not going to accept losing. You want to blame Andy? Andy's gone. I'm very curious to see what they say now."

By the way, the race for the final playoff spots in the Western Conference is really amazing. Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Jose, Anaheim, and Edmonton are fighting for 3 spots. It is really something.

The men's and women's tours have decided to phase in instant replay beginning at Key Biscayne. It will be used only on the stadium court, with disputed calls reviewed on video screens visible to the players, umpire and fans in a process expected to take less than 10 seconds.

''We're the guinea pig, which we're happy to do,'' tournament chairman Butch Buchholz said. ''I've got to believe the players are going to love this. You'd like to have a situation where you're not going to lose a tennis match because of a bad call.''

Not all players favor instant replay, though, and that includes traditionalist Federer.

''I hope I play on the outside courts so I don't have to face it,'' he said jokingly. ''I guess it's going to affect me the most, because I'll probably play many matches in the next few months on center courts.''

Keith Jackson has not retired from ABC Sports, but he is seriously contemplating it. He said last night that he planned to tell ESPN executives in discussions that begin today: "I'm retired. Talk me out of it.' "

He added: "My posture is, I consider myself retired. I can feel the fork. Fifty-three seasons is a long time."

Jackson said he did not expect to be persuaded to stay but would listen to any offer from ESPN, which operates ABC Sports. "Their approach has been, 'Tell us what makes you comfortable,' " he said.

But, he said, "I'm 77 and I feel it." He said he had made on-air mistakes, "and I hate it." Jackson planned to retire after the 1998 college football season but was asked to stay by Howard Katz, then the new head of ABC Sports.

Birmingham's hex on Rafael Benítez had always looked like a figment of the imagination. Not that anyone at St Andrew's could have imagined the Spaniard would inflict a first victory over Birmingham in such humiliating circumstances. Within four minutes the contest was over as Liverpool tore into their vapid hosts, though far greater pain followed as the European Champions exposed Birmingham's glaring deficiencies with alarming ease, running up comfortably their biggest win under Benítez.

Indeed, such was the misery of this thumping defeat that come the end Steve Bruce and not the Birmingham defence was most in need of protection. The Birmingham manager, sheltered by a significant police presence for virtually the entire second half, suffered the ignominy of an irate fan running in his direction before the interval. The supporter was belatedly stopped in his tracks though Liverpool most certainly were not.

Benítez's side, rampant throughout, cut through Birmingham effortlessly. This was nothing short of shooting practice for his side who cantered to their 22nd FA Cup semi-final and their first for five years.

Having gorged on the feast served up by Newcastle's and Fulham's benign defences, Liverpool arrived in buoyant mood. Two victories and eight goals in the space of four days imbued confidence in weary limbs; this was Liverpool's 53rd match of the season and their second in 72 hours following the triumph at St James' Park on Sunday, though they cannot have imagined that Birmingham would be so sympathetic to their cause.

Finally, I really don’t mean to sound gay here, but before I write anything about last night’s finale of my favorite show on TV, I really need to come to grips with it. Wow. That sounds gay.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Those of you who think this is some powder keg waiting to explode ... I don't mean to insult you, but you're high. It might explode in 12 months, when this whack-job Owens will find some demon in his head to go nuts about. But it will not happen this year. There's too much at stake for T.O. He knows the free world thinks he's nuttier than a fruitcake. (There's more than a little truth to that.) He knows he's got $15 million over the last two years of this generous three-year contract riding on his behavior and his performance in 2006. He might be a little bit off, but he's also smart ... smart enough to know there aren't many teams ready to give him another chance if he screws this one up. He won't. At least not in 2006.

I think Jerry Jones has had this moment in his head for 13 months -- ever since T.O. started to act like a jerk in Philadelphia. Jones is not afraid of confrontation, and problem children don't scare him. He took on Jimmy Johnson. He traded for Charles Haley. He let Deion Sanders take advantage of him for years until he couldn't play anymore. Jones wisely cut his losses when Sanders, though finished, wanted one more big signing bonus. He found a naive owner, Dan Snyder, to hand him one last huge paycheck, because Jones was too smart to give big money to a broken-down player. This isn't even a tough gamble for Jones, because the cap has risen $16.5 million over last year, and Owens, who will cost him 9.8 percent of his total cap dollars this year, could well be a bargain. I had one coach who was in the Owens derby tell me a couple of weeks ago, "I think Terrell could have the best season of any offensive player in football.'' Remember his first year in Philly? Until he stupidly opened his yap about some famous teammate being tired on the last drive of the game, he could have run for mayor in January 2005 and won in a walk.

On Monday, publishing company Simon & Schuster announced that Owens is writing a book, tentatively titled Ineligible Receiver: The Real Story of My Journey from the Super Bowl to the Sidelines, about his two years in Philadelphia. The book is scheduled go on sale in late July, about when training camp begins.

"Finally, the real T.O. story can be told," said David Rosenthal, executive vice president and publisher of Simon & Schuster, in a release. "It's an important chapter in the long-term struggle for players' rights in the NFL."

Last month, Banyan Productions, producer of TLC's Trading Spaces, said it was putting together a reality TV series with Owens. The company said several networks are in talks to air the show.

Last I looked, the Cowboys were a football team and not a Boy Scout troop. Signed T.O. makes them a better team on Sundays even if Patrick Crayton was the giddy strawman pick.

Drew Pearson, on the other hand, disagrees. Here's what he told Sirius Radio's Gil Brandt this morning.

“I am (upset) because there used to be some pride. There are certain people that you knew would never ever be in a Cowboy uniform because they didn’t represent what the players represented, in other words what the coaching staff, the organization, was looking for. And there used to be a lot of pride in who wore that star on the helmet. Yes, it upsets me. He’s a former 49er. He’s a former Eagle. He’s a former bad boy and yes, it bothers me. Especially playing the position that I played. We tried to sanctify our positions by being out there on the field and doing what we had to do and trying to do it better that anybody else.

"And then off the field trying to do the right things to live up to the reputations that we developed because of how we succeeded on the field. So, yes, it does bother me. It does upset me. Hey, I’m old school and I want the same kinds of things to stay the same way sometimes. Unfortunately as we develop in society things don’t stay the same. Change is always going to come. And this change is something I never thought I would see.”

The friend said the Giants are expected to make a strong bid to sign Johnson and may strike a deal as early as this week. Johnson is said to be excited about the opportunity to return to the New York area, a place he never wanted to leave. "If the numbers are right, he could sign with the Giants (today)," the friend said. "Keyshawn thinks the Giants have a really good team and could contend for the Super Bowl. Besides, he loves the New York stage."

Johnson, 33, was released by the Cowboys last week when the club decided not to exercise a $1 million roster bonus and instead sign Terrell Owens. He was due to earn a $1.5 million base salary in addition to the bonus but made it clear he wanted more money and a multiyear deal.

Carolina, Seattle, Philadelphia, New England, Kansas City and Dallas, which would like to re-sign Johnson, also have shown interest.

Keyshawn on one side, Plaxico on the other, and Shockey down the middle? Eli is out of excuses…

Eight members of the Washington Nationals' starting lineup took the field last night at Space Coast Stadium. Alfonso Soriano did not, and that act of defiance turned this club's single biggest issue into a full-blown, highly convoluted mess.

In his first day back with the Nationals after participating in the World Baseball Classic, Soriano was penciled into manager Frank Robinson's lineup as the leadoff hitter and left fielder for an exhibition game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Soriano, though, refused to take the field, setting into motion a chain of events that could lead to the 30-year-old essentially being suspended by the Nationals and forfeiting his $10?million salary.

"We believe it is the club's right, based on the basic agreement, based on his contract, that a player needs to play the position that the manager wants to put him in to win, regardless of who that player is," general manager Jim Bowden said minutes after the start of last night's game. "He refused to do that today."

I think Jon Daniels deserves a raise just based on that trade. Meanwhile, for Bowden to trade for him without ever bouncing their plans off him is insane. I know we all think that management is in charge in sports, but isn’t this proof that the inmates are running the asylum? Stay tuned…

The official Minnesota Twin of BaD Radio, href=http://www.startribune.com/150/story/319962.html> Torii Hunter knows this could be his last year in a Twins uniform …interesting…local guy who plays centerfield and will be a free agent….hmmm….

Hutchinson will immediately improve the Vikings' once-proud offensive line, one that struggled last season after Birk underwent season-ending surgery. At 6-5 and 321 pounds, Hutchinson, 28, is known as a ferocious drive blocker and a fundamentally-sound technician.

He will team with Birk and left tackle Bryant McKinnie to provide a formidable left side. His arrival will further boost a free agent period that has seen the Vikings acquire running back Chester Taylor, linebacker Ben Leber and placekicker Ryan Longwell.

What Tippett likes most isn't necessarily the four-game goal-scoring streak Modano saw snapped in Monday night's game, or the eye-catching, spectacular goals he scored during the streak. It's the other, less noticeable but equally important, things Modano brings to the ice.

"Some of his plays have just been vintage Modano. The goals have been highlight-reel goals," Tippett said. "That's what get the attention. But the attention he gets from within the team has been from the little things he does and the minutes he plays, things other than the spectacular plays.

"As great as the spectacular plays are, it's the way he's playing his all-around game that has given our team a chance to be special."

Tippett ticked off the Modano assets on his fingers: he's part of the penalty kill; a key factor in faceoffs; he's stabilized the power play from the point; and, perhaps most importantly, his line plays against the other team's top line virtually every minute.

"Fans see him score a highlight goal and that's all they remember, but when you dig into the guts of the game in a team-success way, not just an individual-showcase way, that's where you find him making the most difference."

Even though his NFL Europe Rhein team jumped off to a good start, defeating the Frankurt Galaxy,10-6, in the season opener Saturday night, Cowboys quarterback Drew Henson didn't exactly start off the spring season like a ball of fire.

Henson, starting and finishing his first football game of any kind since the 2000 season at Michigan, drove his Rhein Fire to just one score in seven possessions on a muddy LTU Arena field in Dusseldorf, Germany, and at that, an inauspicious drive. In fact, it was a one-play drive, Henson handing off to wide receiver Chris Samp, who pulled up on an end-around to throw a 45-yard pass to Juan Wong on Rhein's first offensive play of the game for what turned out to be the only touchdown of the evening.

"That was a great way to start the season," Henson said. "We had the defense on their heels and the situation was good to run the play, so we executed it. It never looked that good in practice, but it worked when it counted."

Henson completed just five of 11 attempts for 58 yards and suffered one sack. He did not throw an interception. Backup Timmy Chang played the second quarter, hitting on six of 13 attempts for just 59 yards.

"These kinds of games are always tense," said a weary McBride, though with a smile, after a day to remember in Southwest London.

The truth is that for the league, these are the sorts of matches one hopes will fall against the grain: Entering the match, Chelsea had lost a grand total of two games in the league and still had a twelve point cushion. Fulham, on the other hand, is a scrappy never-has-been with a small, delightful stadium and big aspirations, but little depth.

McBride, who has been one of the surprises of the year in the EPL, had an active performance at both ends of the field in a game that saw a gritty Fulham team steal a goal and then hold on against a better-conditioned, if perhaps poorer sporting, Chelsea. For much of the first game, Fulham skillfully isolated Chelsea's Frank Lampard and did such a fine job in midfield that Chelsea's Mourinho made a drastic change just 25 minutes in with a double swap of Damien Duff and Didier Drogba for Joe Cole and a useless Shaun Wright-Phillps.

McCONAUGHEY: This is right up there, man. The thing about this, this is four days. That is the difference between pros and amateurs. Here, we go out and we can have a great round or a great nine, but these guys do it four days in a row. This is golf, you've got to be solid all the way through. There's not much room for error or out there. This is up there. I had four holes-in-one. That’s up there.

And now, for your edification, here are two real pieces of email:

Bob,

I just saw something on the Stars broadcast about Modano closing in on most goals scored for an American born player. Do you think when it is all said and done, in ten years perhaps, that Modano will be considered the greatest American born player of all time? Or at least the greatest American born forward?

I can't really think of anyone else I'd put high onthat list.

Matthew

There is no doubt that Mike Modano is on the brink of being thought of as the greatest American goal scorer ever. He should pass Joe Mullen in no time, and since Brett Hull is not technically an American, It is all about Mo- But, I would have a hard time considering anyone as the “greatest American-born hockey player of all-time” if their name wasn’t Chris Chelios. Chelios has been playing at a high level since the early 80’s when he dominated in college. He then went to the 1984 Olympics, and still captains the team in 2006. He has won Cups, awards, respect, and everything else anyone could ever want. Modano is in the top handful, but Chelios is the guy for me….

Bob,

I enjoy the humor of pulling the updog on an unsuspecting victim. But, how bad is it that I'm finding great enjoyment in unleashing the updog on my 4 year old daughter? She falls for it every time and it just doesn't get old.